Electric vehicle charging cable

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure relates to an electric vehicle charging cable capable of effectively cooling heat, which is generated therein during charging of an electric vehicle, using a cooling fluid, preventing damage to internal components thereof due to heat, and minimizing a diameter of the cable.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation application of U.S.application Ser. No. 16/486,379 filed on Aug. 15, 2019, which is anational stage application of International Application No.PCT/KR2018/002112, filed Feb. 21, 2018, which claims priority to KoreanApplication No. 10-2017-0022729, filed Feb. 21, 2017, the disclosures ofwhich are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to an electric vehicle charging cablehaving a cooling function. More specifically, the present disclosurerelates to an electric vehicle charging cable capable of effectivelycooling heat, which is generated therein during charging of an electricvehicle, using a cooling fluid, preventing damage to internal componentsthereof due to heat, and minimizing a diameter of the cable.

BACKGROUND

With the spread of electric vehicles, installation of electric vehiclechargers is increasing. In addition, quick chargers for quick chargingwithin a short time have become widespread. Unlike slow charging, anoutput voltage of a quick charger ranges from 50 V to 450 V DC, anoutput current thereof reaches 110 A, and it will take only 20 to 30minutes to charge an electric vehicle through the quick charger. Theoutput current of the quick charger is expected to increase depending ona battery capacity of an electric vehicle and technology for chargingelectric vehicles.

Electric current is supplied from an electric vehicle charger to anelectric vehicle by connecting an electric vehicle charging cable to amain body of such a quick charger, attaching a connector of the chargerto an end of the electric vehicle charging cable, and attaching theconnector of the charger to an electric vehicle connector included inthe electric vehicle.

An output current of the quick charger is 100 A or more and thus theelectric vehicle charging cable for transmission of the output currentto an electric vehicle is likely to be easily heated. In order tominimize heat generated in the electric vehicle charging cable, a methodof increasing a diameter of a conductor of the electric vehicle chargingcable or the like may be used, but it is difficult to sufficientlyreduce generated heat and the weight of the electric vehicle chargingcable increases.

Heat generated in the electric vehicle charging cable may increase arisk of fire. Furthermore, the electric vehicle charging cable is likelyto come into contact with a user's body when a charger connector isattached to a connector of an electric vehicle to charge the electricvehicle or is separated from the connector of the electric vehicle andplaced in a charger. When an excessive amount of heat is generated inthe electric vehicle charging cable, the user may be injured or feeldiscomfort or anxiety.

BRIEF SUMMARY

The present disclosure is directed to providing an electric vehiclecharging cable capable of effectively cooling heat generated thereinduring charging of an electric vehicle by using a cooling fluid,preventing damage to internal components thereof due to heat, andminimizing a diameter of the cable.

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, the present disclosureprovides an electric vehicle charging cable comprising: a groundingunit; at least one communication unit; a pair of power units eachcomprising: a conductor with an insulating layer; a cooling tube inwhich the conductor is accommodated and a cooling fluid flows in apredetermined direction; and a spacer provided between the conductor andan inner surface of the cooling tube to prevent contact between theinsulating layer of the conductor and the inner surface of the coolingtube, while the conductor is accommodated in the cooling tube; and anouter jacket covering the grounding unit, the communication unit, andthe power units.

The spacer of the power unit may be in the form of annular wire and maybe cross-wound spirally along an outer circumferential surface of thepower unit.

The spacer of the power unit may comprise a plurality of protrusionsprotruding from an outer surface of the insulating layer of theconductor or the inner surface of the cooling tube.

At least one of the cooling tube or the spacer may be formed of aTeflon-based material or a urethane material.

The cooling fluid flowing through the cooling tubes of the power unitsmay be supplied toward a charger connector attached to an end of theelectric vehicle charging cable via the cooling tube of one of the pairof power units, and collected near the charger connector via the coolingtube of the other power unit.

The cooling tubes of the pair of power units may comprise fluidcirculation holes at corresponding positions near the charger connector,and the cooling fluid may be collected through a fluid bridge connectingthe fluid circulation holes.

The fluid bridge may comprise parallel through-parts configured toaccommodate the cooling tubes of the pair of power units to passtherethrough; and a connection part configured to connect thethrough-parts for communication between the fluid circulation holes.

The conductor may be configured to be inserted into a conductor part ofthe charger connector.

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, the present disclosureprovides also an electric vehicle charging cable comprising: a groundingunit; a pair of conductors each including an insulating layer; a pair ofcooling tubes each covering one of the conductors not to be contact withthe conductors, wherein a cooling fluid flows and circulates in the pairof cooling tubes; and a fluid bridge configured to connect the pair ofcooling tubes to supply the cooling fluid supplied via one of the pairof cooling tubes to the other cooling tube.

The conductor may be accommodated in the cooling tube, and the electricvehicle charging cable further may comprise a spacer between theconductor and the cooling tube.

At least one of the spacer or the cooling tube may be formed ofpolytetrafluoro ethylene (PTFE).

At least one of the spacer or the cooling tube may be formed of ageneral resin or polyethylene and coated with fluorinated polyethylene.

The conductor may be inserted into a conductor part of a chargerconnector attached to an end of the electric vehicle charging cable, andthe fluid bridge may be disposed in a housing of the charger connector.

The cooling fluid supplied from an electric vehicle charger may besupplied toward the charger connector via one of the cooling tubes ofthe pair of cooling tubes, supplied to the other cooling tube via thefluid bridge, and collected to the electric vehicle charger.

The pair of cooling tubes may comprise fluid circulation holes atcorresponding positions near the charger connector, and the fluid bridgecomprises: parallel through-parts configured to accommodate the pair ofcooling tubes to pass therethrough; and a connection part configured toconnect the through-parts for communication between the fluidcirculation holes.

The spacer may be in the form of annular wire and is cross-woundspirally about an outer side of the insulating layer of the conductor.

According to an electric vehicle charging cable of the presentdisclosure, heat generated in the electric vehicle charging cable duringquick charging of an electric vehicle can be efficiently cooled using acooling fluid.

More specifically, in the electric vehicle charging cable of the presentdisclosure, a conductor with an insulating layer is placed inside acooling tube through which a cooling fluid flows not to be in contactwith an inner surface of the cooling tube, thereby maximizing coolingperformance of the conductor that generates heat.

In the electric vehicle charging cable of the present disclosure, theconductor is disposed not in contact with the inner surface of thecooling tube to cool all surfaces of the insulating layer of theconductor, thereby preventing the insulating layer covering theconductor from being locally melted due to a cooling variation of eachregion thereof.

In the electric vehicle charging cable of the present disclosure, innercomponents of a power unit are formed of materials having high heatresistance to minimize external or internal heat transmission, so thatusers' discomfort or anxiety may be reduced and the inner components maybe prevented from being melted when an outer jacket is covered.

In addition, in the electric vehicle charging cable of the presentdisclosure, a cooling channel is provided in the power unit, so that awhole diameter of the electric vehicle charging cable may be minimizedas compared to technology of providing a cooling tube separately from apower unit.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an electric vehicle and an electric vehicle charger.

FIG. 2 illustrates an electric vehicle and a connector of an electricvehicle charger.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of an electric vehicle charging cableaccording to the present disclosure.

FIGS. 4(a), 4(b), and 4(c) illustrate a structure of a power unit of anelectric vehicle charging cable according to the disclosure and aprocess of assembling a conductor part of a charger connector.

FIGS. 5(a), 5(b), and 5(c) illustrate a pair of power units and a fluidbridge, for circulation of a cooling fluid, of an electric vehiclecharging cable according to the present disclosure.

FIGS. 6(a) and 6(b) illustrate an assembled state of a pair of powerunits and a fluid bridge of an electric vehicle charging cable accordingto the present disclosure, and a state in which a cooling fluid flows inthe electric vehicle charging cable.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will bedescribed in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Thepresent disclosure is, however, not limited thereto and may be embodiedin many different forms. Rather, the embodiments set forth herein areprovided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, andfully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art.Throughout the specification, the same reference numbers represent thesame elements.

FIG. 1 illustrates an electric vehicle ev and an electric vehiclecharger 300.

The electric vehicle charger 300 is connected to a charger connector 200via an electric vehicle charging cable 100 so as to supply power to theelectric vehicle ev. The charger connector 200 is provided on an end ofthe electric vehicle charging cable 100.

The charger connector 200 may be attached to an electric vehicleconnector 400 of the electric vehicle ev to supply power. It may takeonly 20 to 30 minutes to charge the electric vehicle ev using a quickcharger.

Heat may be generated in the electric vehicle charging cable 100electrically connecting the electric vehicle charger 300 and theelectric vehicle ev due to a large current capacity thereof. To preventa risk of fire or relieve a user's anxiety, a method of cooling theelectric vehicle charging cable 100 using a cooling fluid is employed inthe electric vehicle charging cable 100 of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates the charger connector 200 to which the electricvehicle connector 400 of the electric vehicle ev and the electricvehicle charging cable 100 are connected. The connector illustrated inFIG. 2 is a ‘combo (TYPE1)’ connector used in the USA and Europe anddetermined as a unified standard connector in the future, whereby bothAC slow charging and DC quick charging may be performed, and isapplicable to the electric vehicle charging cable 100 according to thepresent disclosure.

However, a ‘CHAdeMO’ connector used in Japan or a Renault ‘3-phase AC’conductor is applicable to the electric vehicle charging cable 100according to the present disclosure, as well as the combo (‘TYPE1’)connector of FIG. 2 used in the USA and Europe.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the charger connector 200 is attached to anend of the electric vehicle charging cable 100 of the presentdisclosure. The charger connector 200 is configured to be detachablyattached to the electric vehicle connector 400 of the electric vehicleev.

The combo (‘TYPE1’) connector is integrated with an AC or DC connector.These connectors include AC charging parts 210 and 410 and DC chargingparts 230 and 430.

The electric vehicle charging cable 100 connected to the connectors iseasily heated by high electric current during quick charging and thuscooled with a cooling fluid to fix the problem.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, a pair of power units 10 a and 10 b areincluded in the electric vehicle charging cable 100, and a coolingchannel 15 is included in each of the power units 10 a and 10 b, so thatthe cooling fluid may be supplied via the cooling channel 15 to fix aproblem that the electric vehicle charging cable 100 is heated easily.The cooling fluid supplied from the electric vehicle charger 300 via thecooling channels 15 of the pair of power units 10 a and 10 b is suppliedvia the cooling channel 15 of the power unit 10 a or 10 b and collectedvia the cooling channel 15 of the other power unit 10 a or 10 b. Arelated art in which a cooling tube through which a cooling fluid flowsis provided in an electric vehicle charging cable or a related art inwhich a cooling channel is provided adjacent to a power unit or aconductor has been introduced. However, because all surfaces of theconductor or the power units 10, which are easily heated, are notcooled, cooling performance may not be satisfactory when the coolingtube is not in direct contact with the power unit or the conductor or inthe case of a region not in contact with the cooling channel.

However, in the case of the electric vehicle charging cable 100according to the present disclosure, a method of maximizing coolingperformance by accommodating each of conductors and the like in one ofcooling channels is used. The electric vehicle charging cable 100according to the present disclosure will be described in detail withreference to FIG. 3 below.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of an electric vehicle charging cable100 according to the present disclosure.

The electric vehicle charging cable 100 of the present disclosureincludes a grounding unit 20; at least one communication unit 30; a pairof power units 10 each including a conductor 11 with an insulating layer13, a cooling tube 17 in which the conductor 11 is accommodated and acooling fluid flows in a predetermined direction, and a spacer 19provided between the conductor 11 and an inner surface of the coolingtube 17 to prevent contact between the insulating layer 13 of theconductor 11 and the inner surface of the cooling tube 17 while theconductor 11 is accommodated in the cooling tube; and an outer jacket 70configured to accommodate the grounding unit 20, the communication unit30 and the power units 10.

The electric vehicle charging cable 100 of FIG. 3 may include threecommunication units 30, one grounding unit 20, and a pair of power units10 a and 10 b.

Each of the communication units 30 and the grounding unit 20 may becoated with a sheath layer. A shaped filler 40 for maintaining a roundshape of the cable and a central tensile wire 50 for reinforcing tensileforce may be provided.

The pair of power units 10 a and 10 b which are easily heated may becooled by supplying thereto a cooling fluid to circulate through theinside thereof.

Specifically, the power unit 10 includes the conductor 11 having theinsulating layer 13, the cooling tube 17 which is configured toaccommodate the conductor 11 and in which the cooling fluid flows in thepredetermined direction, and the spacer 19 provided between theconductor 11 and the inner surface of the cooling tube 17 to preventcontact between the insulating layer 13 of the conductor 11 and theinner surface of the cooling tube 17 while the conductor 11 isaccommodated in the cooling tube 17.

The conductor of the power unit 10 may be accommodated in the coolingtube 17 while the insulating layer 13 is included in the conductor 11.The conductor 11 having the insulating layer 13 and accommodated in thecooling tube 17 may be provided with a cooling channel 15 on an outsidethereof to effectively cool heat which may be generated when power issupplied.

The cooling fluid that may be supplied to the cooling tube 17 may bewater or the like, and an anti-freeze may be added thereto to preventfreezing when not in use. The electric vehicle charging cable 100 of thepresent disclosure connects the electric vehicle charger 300 and thecharger connector 200 to each other, and the cooling fluid used forcooling may be collected back to the electric vehicle charger 300, iscooled, and is supplied again.

Thus, a cooling device for re-cooling the cooling fluid and a pumpingdevice for causing the cooling fluid to flow may be provided inside oroutside the electric vehicle charger 300.

A conductor with an insulating layer is withdrawn and connected to acharger power supply (not shown) and the cooling fluid flowing througheach cooling tube may be supplied from the cooling device and thepumping device and then be re-cooled and pumped to form a circulationchannel.

As described above with reference to FIG. 2, the cooling channels 15 ofthe pair of power units 10 a and 10 b may be configured to circulatethrough the pair of power units 10 a and 10 b.

That is, in the electric vehicle charger 300, the cooling fluid, whichwas used for cooling while circulating through the cooling tube 17 ofthe power unit and thus is heated, is cooled by the cooling device andpumped by the pumping device to be supplied again into the cooling tube17, thereby repeatedly and continuously cooling the power unit 10.

That is, the cooled cooling fluid may be supplied to the cooling tube 17of one of the pair of power units 10 a and 10 b of the electric vehiclecharging cable 100 connecting the charger connector 200 and the electricvehicle charger 300, and may be collected to the cooling tube 17 of theother power unit 10 a or 10 b after the cooling fluid is used forcooling. This process will be described below in detail.

In order to uniformly cool the conductor of the power unit 10, theconductor may be configured such that the cooling fluid may flow alongan outer surface of the insulating layer 13 thereof. That is, when theinsulating layer 13 of the conductor and an inner surface of the coolingtube 17 come into contact with each other, cooling performance maydecrease, and thus, the spacer 19 may be provided to prevent contactbetween the insulating layer 13 of the conductor and the inner surfaceof the cooling tube 17, so that the cooling channel 15 may be uniformlyprovided along an outer side of the insulating layer 13 of theconductor.

The spacer 19 may be provided in the form of wire, or may be provided inthe form of a protrusion on the outer surface of the insulating layer 13of the conductor or the inner surface of the cooling tube 17.

When the spacer 19 is provided, surface contact between the outersurface of the insulating layer 13 of the conductor and the innersurface of the cooling tube 17 may be prevented and thus a coolingeffect using the cooling fluid may be maximized.

Due to the above configuration, according to the present disclosure, allsurfaces of an insulating layer of a conductor may be cooled to minimizea cooling variation in each region of a surface of the insulating layer,compared with technology of placing a separate cooling pipe in acharging cable, and an insulating conductor is disposed in a coolingchannel to provide a cooling function using a cooling fluid and minimizea thickness of an electric vehicle charging cable.

Although in the embodiment of FIG. 3, the spacer 19 of the power unit 10is in the form of annular wire and is cross-wound spirally along anouter circumferential surface of the conductor, the spacer 19 is notlimited thereto, provided contact between the conductor and the coolingtube can be prevented. That is, the spacer 19 may be provided in theform of a plurality of protrusions protruding from the outer surface ofthe insulating layer of the conductor or the inner surface of thecooling tube.

In addition, heat may be more effectively discharged by forming warmcurrent from the flow of the cooling fluid by the spacer 19.

Thus, in an electric vehicle charging cable according to the presentdisclosure, a conductor is placed inside a cooling tube with a coolingchannel through which a cooling fluid flows not to be in contact with aninner surface of the cooling tube, thereby maximizing coolingperformance of the conductor that generates heat.

That is, in the electric vehicle charging cable of the presentdisclosure, the conductor is disposed in the cooling tube with thecooling channel through which the cooling fluid flows not to be incontact with the inner surface of the cooling tube, so that all thesurfaces of the insulating layer of the conductor that generates heatmay be cooled to maximize the cooling performance of the conductor.

The spacer 19 and the cooling tube 17 are preferably formed of amaterial having excellent heat resistance and oil resistance. Thematerial may include polytetrafluoro ethylene (PTFE) or urethane or maybe formed of general resin or polyethylene and coated with fluorinatedpolyethylene or the like.

Fluorinated polyethylene may be, for example, a Teflon-based material.Teflon has excellent heat resistance at a temperature ranging from −60°C. to +250° C. Therefore, when the Teflon-based material is used,external heat transmission causing a user's discomfort or anxiety may beminimized, and internal heat transmission may be also minimized during asheath coating process or the like to prevent melting of innercomponents, thereby ensuring insulation performance.

For the same purpose, an additional insulating layer 60 may be providedto block heat generated in the cable from being transmitted to theoutside.

The additional insulating layer 60 may be formed of a Teflon-basedmaterial having excellent heat resistance, similar to the cooling tube,or formed of a fiber braided body having low thermal conductivity andhigh flexibility.

FIGS. 4(a), 4(b), and 4(c) illustrate the structure of the power unit 10of the electric vehicle charging cable 100 according to the presentdisclosure and a process of assembling a conductor part 230 of thecharger connector 200.

The power unit 10 of the electric vehicle charging cable 100 accordingto the present disclosure supplies power via the conductor 11 with theinsulating layer 13.

As illustrated in FIG. 4(b), the conductor 11 with the insulating layer13 may be accommodated in the cooling tube 17 having a pipe shape. Thespacer 19 is provided on an outer side of the insulating layer 13 toprevent contact between an outer surface of the insulating layer 13 andthe inner surface of the cooling tube 17. As illustrated in FIGS. 4(a)and 4(b), the spacer 19 may be in the form of annular wire and beinstalled by being spirally cross-wound about the outer circumferentialsurface of the insulating layer 13 covering the conductor.

The spacer 19 is not limited to the form of annular wire, and may be inthe form of a protrusion integrally protruding from the outer surface ofthe insulating layer 13 of the conductor 11 or the inner surface of thecooling tube 17.

As illustrated in FIG. 4(b), the conductor part 230 of the chargerconnector 200 may be attached to an end of the electric vehicle chargingcable 100. The conductor part 230 is a component of the chargerconnector 200 and is connected to the conductor of the power unit 10 ofthe electric vehicle charging cable 100 according to the presentdisclosure.

The conductor part 230 of the charger connector 200 may have aninsertion structure into which the conductor 11 of the power unit 10 ofthe electric vehicle charging cable 100 may be inserted.

That is, the connector part 230 of the charger connector 200 may beconfigured to be inserted into the cooling tube 17 of the power unit 10of the electric vehicle charging cable 100 and to allow the conductor ofthe power unit 10 to be inserted into a side thereof while beinginserted into the cooling tube 17.

The connector part 230 of the charger connector 200 may include a flange233 for limiting a depth of insertion into the cooling tube 17, and atleast one pressing protrusion 231 protruding beyond an inner diameter ofthe cooling tube 17 in a circumferential direction to stably maintainthe insertion into the cooling tube 17 and prevent leakage of thecooling fluid. A state in which the connector part 230 of the chargerconnector 200 is interference-fitted into the cooling tube 17 of thepower unit 10 of the electric vehicle charging cable 100 may be stablymaintained by the pressing protrusion 231.

When there is a risk of leakage of a refrigerant, a metal sleeve may beput on the pressing protrusion 231 to press down the cooling tube 17more heavily to maintain a watertight state.

In addition, a fluid circulation hole 17 h may be provided near an endof the cooling tube 17 to which the conductor portion 230 of the chargerconnector 200 is attached so as to form the cooling channel 15 of thecooling fluid.

As described above, the electric vehicle charging cable 100 of thepresent disclosure includes the pair of power units 10 a and 10 b. Eachof the power units 10 includes the cooling channel 15. The electricvehicle charging cable 100 is cooled by forming the cooling channels 15such that the cooling fluid is supplied to the charger connector 200 viathe cooling channel 15 of one of the power units 10 a and 10 b andcollected to the electric vehicle charger 300 via the cooling channel 15of the other power unit 10.

Thus, for communication between the cooling channels 15 of the coolingtubes 17 of the power units, the fluid circulation holes 17 h of thecooling fluid may be formed in the cooling tubes 17 near an end regionof the electric vehicle charging cable 100, i.e., a region forconnection of the charger connector 200, to circulate the cooling fluidvia the fluid circulation holes 17 h.

FIGS. 5(a), 5(b), and 5(c) illustrate a pair of power units 10 a and 10b and a fluid bridge 90, for circulation of a cooling fluid, of anelectric vehicle charging cable 100 according to the present disclosure.

As illustrated in FIG. 5(a), the cooling tubes 17 of the pair of powerunits 10 a and 10 b include fluid circulation holes 17 h atcorresponding positions in a lengthwise direction of the electricvehicle charging cable 100. Each of the power units 10 is connected tothe fluid bridge 90 having an H shape.

The fluid bridge 90 includes through-parts 91 a and 91 b configured toaccommodate the cooling tubes 17 of the power units 10 to passtherethrough, and a connection part 93 configured to connect thethrough-parts 91 a and 91 b in a vertical direction. A refrigerant maybe circulated through the connection part 93.

Because the fluid bridge 90 is attached with a power unit and used toexchange cooling fluids, the fluid bridge 90 is preferably disposed asclose to a charger connector as possible to ensure a cooling effect ofthe entire cable. In detail, the fluid bridge 90 is preferably disposedinside a housing of a charger connector. Because parts connected via thefluid bridge 90 are provided with fluid circulation holes or the likeand thus should be prevented from being bent, the fluid bridge 90 needsto be disposed inside the housing of the charger connector.

As illustrated in a cross-sectional view of the fluid bridge 90 of FIG.5(c), the through-parts 91 a and 91 b of the fluid bridge 90 in whichthe cooling tubes 17 are accommodated to pass therethrough may includeO-ring mounting grooves 92, for mounting of O-rings, at positions nearthe fluid circulation holes 17 h. The O-ring mounting grooves 92 may begrooves formed in inner circumferential surfaces of the through-parts 91a and 91 b in a direction perpendicular to a path-through direction ofthe cooling tubes 17.

O-rings formed of a flexible material may be inserted into the O-ringmounting grooves 92 to prevent leakage of the cooling fluid.Alternatively, a sealing effect may be obtained by forming protrusionson the inner circumferential surfaces of the through-parts 91 a and 91b, similar to the pressing protrusions on the conductor parts 230, andremoving a clearance between the through-parts 91 a and 91 b and thecooling tubes 17.

FIGS. 6(a), 6(b), and 6(c) illustrate an assembled state of the pair ofpower units 10 a and 10 b and the fluid bridge 90 of the electricvehicle charging cable 100 according to the present disclosure.

As illustrated in FIG. 6(a), when the power units 10 are arranged topass through the through-parts 91 a and 91 b of the fluid bridge 90 andthe fluid circulation holes 17 h of the cooling tubes 17 of the powerunits 10 are provided in a direction toward the connection parts 93 ofthe fluid bridge 90, a cooling fluid supplied via one of the coolingtubes 17 may flow and circulate through the fluid circulation hole 17 hof the cooling tube 17, the connection parts 93 of the fluid bridge 90,and the fluid circulation hole 17 h of the other cooling tube 17. Thismeans that the cooling fluid used for cooling may be collected to theelectric vehicle charger 300 supplying the cooling fluid.

In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 6(b), a refrigerant supplied fromthe electric vehicle charger 300 via one of the power units 10 and usedto cool the conductor of the power unit 10 may be collected to thecooling tube 17 of the other power unit 10, be used to cool theconductor therein, and then be collected to the cooling device of theelectric vehicle charger 300 or the like.

As illustrated in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 6(b), because theconnection part 93 of the fluid bridge 90 is positioned to connect thecenters of the through-parts 91 a and 91 b, the cooling fluid suppliedto one of the cooling tubes 17 may circulate to a rear end of theconnector part 230 of the electric vehicle connector 400 and then besupplied to the other cooling tube 17 via the fluid circulation hole 17h. Thus, the connector part 230 of the charger connector 200 may be alsocooled through a cooling effect obtained using the cooling fluid.

As described above, because the fluid bridge 90 may be provided insidethe housing of the charger connector, airtightness of parts connectedthrough the fluid bridge 90 may be stably ensured.

In addition, as described above, the O-Rings may be inserted into thethrough-parts 91 a and 91 b which the cooling tubes 17 pass through toimprove airtightness between the inner circumferential surfaces ofthrough-parts 91 a and 91 b of the fluid bridge 90 and the outercircumferential surfaces of the cooling tubes 17, thereby preventingleakage of the cooling fluid. The number or positions of the O-ringsmounted into the through-parts 91 a and 91 b may be changed.

When the temperature of the cooling fluid is sufficiently low or a flowrate thereof is sufficient, the power unit 10 to which the cooling fluidis supplied and the power unit 10 to which the cooling fluid iscollected may be sufficiently cooled, because a variation between atemperature at which the cooling fluid is supplied and a temperature atwhich the cooling fluid is collected is not large.

In addition, because there may be a variation in cooling load of theelectric vehicle charging cable 100 according to a season or thefrequency of use of a charger, an optimum cooling effect may be achievedaccording to the cooling load by adjusting the temperature and flow rateof the cooling fluid to be supplied, based on the temperature of thecollected cooling fluid.

While the present disclosure has been described above with respect toexemplary embodiments thereof, it would be understood by those ofordinary skilled in the art that various changes and modifications maybe made without departing from the technical conception and scope of thepresent disclosure defined in the following claims. Thus, it is clearthat all modifications are included in the technical scope of thepresent disclosure as long as they include the components as claimed inthe claims of the present disclosure.

The invention claimed is:
 1. An electric vehicle charging cablecomprising: at least one power unit comprising: a conductor; aninsulating layer covering the conductor; a cooling tube covering theinsulating layer; and a spacer configured to prevent contact between theinsulating layer and the cooling tube and form a cooling channel throughwhich a cooling fluid flows; and an outer jacket covering the at leastone power unit, wherein the insulating layer of the at least one powerunit wraps the conductor to prevent exposure of the conductor to thecooling fluid.
 2. The electric vehicle charging cable of claim 1,wherein the spacer is in the form of wire.
 3. The electric vehiclecharging cable of claim 2, wherein the spacer is spirally cross-woundabout the at least one power unit.
 4. The electric vehicle chargingcable of claim 1, wherein the spacer is spaced between the outer surfaceof the insulating layer and the inner surface of the cooling tube. 5.The electric vehicle charging cable of claim 1, wherein the spacercomprises at least one protrusion integrally formed with an outersurface of the insulating layer of the conductor or an inner surface ofthe cooling tube.
 6. The electric vehicle charging cable of claim 1,further comprising at least one grounding unit and at least onecommunication unit.
 7. The electric vehicle charging cable of claim 1,wherein at least one of the cooling tube and the spacer is formed of aTeflon-based material or a urethane material.
 8. The electric vehiclecharging cable of claim 1, wherein the at least one power unit comprisesa pair of power units, wherein the cooling fluid flowing through thecooling tube of the at least one power unit is supplied toward a chargerconnector, which is mounted on an end of the electric vehicle chargingcable, through the cooling tube of one of the pair of power units and isreturned near the charger connector through the cooling tube of theother power unit.
 9. The electric vehicle charging cable of claim 8,wherein the cooling tubes of the pair of power units comprise fluidcirculation holes at corresponding positions near the charger connector,wherein the cooling fluid is returned through a fluid bridge connectingthe fluid circulation holes.
 10. The electric vehicle charging cable ofclaim 9, wherein the fluid bridge comprises: parallel through-partsconfigured to accommodate the pair of cooling tubes of the pair of powerunits to pass therethrough; and a connection part configured to connectthe parallel through-parts for communication between the fluidcirculation holes.
 11. The electric vehicle charging cable of claim 1,wherein the conductor is configured to be inserted into a conductor partof the charger connector connected to the end of the electric vehiclecharging cable.
 12. An electric vehicle charging cable for connecting amain body of an electric vehicle charger and an electric vehiclecharging connector, the electric vehicle charging cable comprising: atleast one power unit comprising: a conductor with an insulating layer; acooling tube in which the conductor with the insulating layer isaccommodated and a cooling fluid flows in a predetermined direction toreduce heat generated as the conductor conducts electric current; and aspacer provided between the insulating layer of the conductor and aninner surface of the cooling tube to prevent contact between theinsulating layer of the conductor and the inner surface of the coolingtube while the conductor is accommodated in the cooling tube and to forma cooling channel through which the cooling fluid flows; and an outerjacket covering the at least one power unit, wherein the spacer of theat least one power unit is in the form of wire and spirally cross-woundalong an outer circumferential surface of the insulating layer coveringthe conductor, the insulating layer wraps the conductor to preventexposure of the conductor to the cooling fluid, and at least one of thecooling tube and the spacer is formed of a Teflon-based material or aurethane material.
 13. An electric vehicle charging cable for connectinga main body of an electric vehicle charger and an electric vehiclecharging connector, the electric vehicle charging cable comprising: apair of power units each comprising: a conductor with an insulatinglayer; a cooling tube in which the conductor with the insulating layeris accommodated and a cooling fluid flows in a predetermined directionto reduce heat generated as the conductor conducts electric current; anda spacer provided between the insulating layer of the conductor and aninner surface of the cooling tube to prevent contact between theinsulating layer of the conductor and the inner surface of the coolingtube while the conductor is accommodated in the cooling tube and to forma cooling channel through which the cooling fluid flows; and an outerjacket covering the pair of power units, wherein the spacers of the pairof power units are in the form of wire and are spirally cross-woundalong an outer circumferential surface of the insulating layer coveringthe conductor, the insulating layer wraps the conductor to preventexposure of the conductor to the cooling fluid, and the cooling fluidflowing through the cooling tubes of the pair of power units is suppliedtoward a charger connector, which is mounted on an end of the electricvehicle charging cable, through the cooling tube of one of the pair ofpower units and is returned near the charger connector through thecooling tube of the other power unit.